Associated PressFirst Lady Michelle Obama waves as she appears at the podium for a camera test on the stage at the Democratic National Convention inside Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

First Lady Michelle Obama waves as she appears on the stage for filming a campaign video at the Democratic National Convention inside Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Deval Patrick and Julian Castro were capable opening acts for First Lady Michelle Obama's return to the stage at the Democractic National Convention. Here's a look at some of the key moments from the first night in Charlotte.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Following a day filled with of dozens of events and speeches defending and boasting President Barack Obama's job performance since taking office in 2009, his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to recount the American dream they both achieved.

The first lady talked about her concerns that becoming president would make her husband out of touch with the everyday struggles he overcame on the path that eventually led to the White House. She said that even though they enjoyed the "simple joys" of life together before their latest chapter, today they are as cohesive as ever, and she attributes it to the president's character and values.

"You see, even though back then Barack was a senator and a presidential candidate … to me, he was still the guy who’d picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a hole in the passenger side door … he was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he’d found in a dumpster, and whose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small," Mrs. Obama said. "But when Barack started telling me about his family – that’s when I knew I had found a kindred spirit, someone whose values and upbringing were so much like mine.

"You see, Barack and I were both raised by families who didn’t have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable – their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves."

She went on to discuss her own personal story about how her father was a pump operator for the city of Chicago and the financial struggles her family faced at times. She said the most important thing in the mind of her father, a man who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she and her brother were young, was ensuring they got an education.

Mrs. Obama related her story to that of her husband, who was raised by a single mother and grandparents who stepped in to help when they could.

"Like so many American families, our families weren’t asking for much. They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success or care that others had much more than they did ... in fact, they admired it," Mrs. Obama said. "They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that, even if you don’t start out with much, if you work hard and do what you’re supposed to do, then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids. That’s how they raised us … that’s what we learned from their example."

While describing the tests her husband has faced since taking office, Mrs. Obama said she learned that becoming the president doesn't change you, but rather "reveals who you are."

"Barack knows the American dream because he’s lived it … and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love," she said. "And he believes that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity … you do not slam it shut behind you … you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.

"So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.

"He’s the same man who started his career by turning down high-paying jobs and instead working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get folks back to work … because for Barack, success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives."

Did Michelle Obama's speech positively impact your view of Pres. Obama?
The first lady's speech culminated an evening filled with big-name speeches taking a variety of angles to deliver the president's message. While most speeches focused on the president's achievements and story rather than the Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, the first day of the Democratic National Convention did have its share of jabs at the former Massachusetts governor.

"Mitt Romney proudly wrote an op-ed entitled, 'Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.' If he had had his way, devastation would have cascaded from Michigan to Ohio and across the nation," said former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. "Mitt Romney never saw the point of building something when he could profit from tearing it down. If Mitt was Santa Claus, he'd fire the reindeer and outsource the elves."

And while Romney boasted of surpluses he accrued for the Bay State while he served, current Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who is also a chair of Obama's re-election campaign, said Romney's tenure as the head of the state was defined by someone who was "more interested in having the job than doing it."

On Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren is among the Massachusetts politicians who will play a part leading up to Thursday's convention finale when Obama takes the stage at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. to officially accept his party's nomination.

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